Major earthquake strikes Haiti
A massive earthquake struck the Caribbean island nation of Haiti on Tuesday 12 January, devastating the capital city of Port-au-Prince and killing tens of thousands of people. The 7.0-magnitude quake, Haiti's worst in two centuries, struck at 16:53 local time (21:53 GMT) and was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks that registered 5.9 and 5.5 in magnitude. Nations across world, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are preparing to send aid to the stricken island, while Haiti's envoy to the US has said that the cost of the damage could run into billions. Lee Niblett, head of corporate intelligence at global security specialist red24, said of the tragedy: "Our Crisis Management Response Centre is actively monitoring developments and we have security consultants both in country and in-bound helping affected clients. At the moment, we anticipate that we will evacuate at least 25 corporate clients and students from Port-au-Prince via the Dominican Republic by 4x4." He continued: "The damage caused by the earthquake appears to be most severe in Port-au-Prince where several buildings, including the offices of the World Bank and UN headquarters, and commercial establishments have reportedly been destroyed. Several foreign missions have also been affected; the Brazilian and Taiwanese embassies have been severely damaged, while the Canadian embassy has been evacuated and the Indian envoy to Cuba has stated that the Indian embassy cannot be contacted."
A massive earthquake struck the Caribbean island nation of Haiti on Tuesday 12 January, devastating the capital city of Port-au-Prince and killing tens of thousands of people.
The 7.0-magnitude quake, Haiti's worst in two centuries, struck at 16:53 local time (21:53 GMT) and was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks that registered 5.9 and 5.5 in magnitude. Nations across world, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are preparing to send aid to the stricken island, while Haiti's envoy to the US has said that the cost of the damage could run into billions.
Lee Niblett, head of corporate intelligence at global security specialist red24, said of the tragedy: "Our Crisis Management Response Centre is actively monitoring developments and we have security consultants both in country and in-bound helping affected clients. At the moment, we anticipate that we will evacuate at least 25 corporate clients and students from Port-au-Prince via the Dominican Republic by 4x4." He continued: "The damage caused by the earthquake appears to be most severe in Port-au-Prince where several buildings, including the offices of the World Bank and UN headquarters, and commercial establishments have reportedly been destroyed. Several foreign missions have also been affected; the Brazilian and Taiwanese embassies have been severely damaged, while the Canadian embassy has been evacuated and the Indian envoy to Cuba has stated that the Indian embassy cannot be contacted."